Need you tonight...

'Cause I'm not sleepin'

***

CHAPTER 44:

THORNY ROSE

Cats definitely had stronger instincts than humans. Trouble had sensed the impending danger much faster than I had, rising from his nap corner, lifting his head, and perking up his ears. I was neither as perceptive as he was, nor had I seen the signs he gave in time. When our unexpected guest appeared at the threshold, it was too late to react.

"Hello, Oliver," said Mars.

He was leaning against the wall, hands in his pockets. He had changed after class, wearing a plain fleece and jeans. There was no need for him to look so good at this time of night, but he did. Facing his effortless perfection made it impossible not to feel bad about myself. I almost ran my hand through my hair to tidy it but stopped myself. With my gloves dirtied from soil, that attempt would have been more disastrous than helpful.

"Why are you here?" I asked.

The corner of his mouth curled up. "Don't make it so obvious that you're happy to see me..."

I frowned. "Really, Mars... What do you want? I'm working, as you can see. Your jokes will have to wait until the class day."

I wish Trouble had shown the same solidarity as me. Instead, he had already made his way to Mars, rubbing against his legs. Mars pushed himself off the wall, bent down to pet him. Then, lifting Trouble into his arms, he slowly walked towards the table, but rather than coming to my side, he circled to the opposite one. He gestured with his chin at the pot in front of me.

"Still decorating the Dorm?"

I nodded back, but my suspicions grew. Casual conversation like this didn't fit the Mars I knew. There was definitely a catch, likely tied to the message he had sent me, and the question Blue had asked...

"Did you come to help?" I tested him.

He laughed as if I'd made a very funny joke. "If you're ready to give up the compliments you've received, I can help, sure."

It was clear, I wouldn't get the truth out of his mouth without sticking my hand down his throat. "Why did you message me?" I demanded directly.

This was definitely not the controlled conversation Mars had imagined. His eyes locked onto mine and I watched with pleasure as his smile faded.

"Go on, say it," I said. "You're obviously distressed about something."

I took off my gloves and crossed my arms over my chest, standing defiantly in front of him. I was particularly enjoying every moment. After all, seeing Mars so helpless wasn't an opportunity that came by every day.

"Yes, I'm listening?"

He let out a heavy sigh and scanned the room. After setting Trouble down, his head dipped, causing his hair to fall over his eyes. I watched patiently. Eventually, he lifted his gaze back to mine, sighed deeply, and admitted, "I need your help."

That was unexpected. My eyebrow shot up instantly. "My help? You need... my help?"

It seemed hearing his own words from me made him even more uncomfortable. His hand reached to the back of his neck, pulling at his hair nervously. "I mean... Blue and I thought... like last time... maybe... you could take a look at our new song."

Ah-ha! So that was it. His message, the question Blue had hinted at... I couldn't help but smile. Who would have thought that one day, the gracious Mars would come to me for help? This was undoubtedly an unexpected move for him too. I had never seen him struggle to talk to someone before. But now... God, what a delightful pleasure it was to watch him squirm like us ordinary souls. I bit my lower lip to keep from bursting into laughter.

"So... just to clarify," I said. "You want my help again to write your song, is that it?"

I understood perfectly well what he was asking, but why miss the chance to watch Mars's face turn a sickly shade of green?

"I've already written the song," he said. He was annoyed but managed to keep his composure. "It's just... Blue says something's missing in the song. And last time..." Another troubled breath... "You know. You had helped a bit."

"A bit?" I raised my eyebrows. "I practically spent the whole night fixing your song!"

Mars closed his eyes and reopened them. "Exactly, that's what I'm saying. You need to do the same thing again."

I shrugged and leaned back towards the pot I had been working on when he arrived. "Unfortunately, I don't have time for that anymore. I have my own things to grow."

This wasn't exactly true. I had designed all the main areas in the Dorm. Aside from creating minor changes and innovations, there was nothing that required me to be locked in the greenhouse. I was mostly working for special requests from the souls or my own pleasure. Of course, Mars wouldn't know this. His face fell.

"Just a few hours," he pleaded.

"Sorry," I said, feigning a sour face. "I can't neglect a task given by the angels, can I?"

Oh, how effortlessly I lied. And how easily Mars fell for it. He removed his hands from his pockets and placed them on the table, his eyes scanning for a solution. In stark contrast to his frustration, I leisurely continued plucking dead leaves from the plant.

"Fine," he finally said. "I'll help you then. That way you'll have time."

Surprised, I stared at him, but he was already on the move. He grabbed an apron hanging on the wall, slipped it over his head, and tied it around his back. I watched, mouth agape, as he found some gloves in the corner and put them on.

"I'm ready," he announced as he approached the table. "What am I doing?"

"You're joking, right?"

To prove he wasn't, he spread his arms wide, his face more serious than I was accustomed to seeing on him. Wow... how low had mighty Mars fallen? How important must this song be... Suddenly, a light bulb went off in my mind.

"The carnival!" I exclaimed. "This is all for the song you'll perform at the carnival, isn't it?"

He dropped his arms sharply, slapping them against his legs. "Bravo, Sherlock! You've cracked the mystery. Are you going to give me a task now? It's almost night."

The devil inside me suggested I grab the pot on the table, smash it over his head, and then throw him out of the greenhouse. But then... the same devil thought of a better idea, and I said, "Alright, I'll give you a task."

And so began hours that no amount of money, wish candles, or prayers could have bought. I had collected many fun memories at the Dorm, but tonight was set to top them all. I assigned Mars the most thankless tasks imaginable. He needlessly shuffled bags of soil from one corner to another, moved all the pots to the ground only to restack them on the shelves, and emptied and refilled compost bins purely for the sake of airing them out.

When I ran out of grueling tasks, I asked for his help with pending orders. His reaction upon learning we'd be making flower crowns was priceless—I bit my tongue so hard trying not to laugh that it throbbed for an hour. Mars wasn't actually untalented. Perhaps because he played musical instruments, his fingers were quick and his hands did fine work. But he was definitely a stranger to flowers and soil.

Watching him try to make a crown out of thorny roses was like watching monkeys at the zoo trying to solve a puzzle. Since he couldn't manage to keep the stems together, he had taken off his gloves at some point. That's why he kept pricking his fingers. When the stems separated for the fourth time and the crown split in half, he cursed and threw it on the table. At the same time, a thorn stabbed into his palm, prompting him to curse louder. While he flapped around in his spot, I leaned forward, laughing uncontrollably. I couldn't keep it inside any longer.

"Very funny, Oliver," Mars said as he waved his hand.

It really was hilarious. I was laughing so hard my stomach hurt. I know it's wrong to laugh at someone else's pain. But when it's Mars... I held my stomach and laughed even more, tears streaming down my face.

"I'm sorry. I'm just... frustrated," I said between irrepressible giggles.

"You or me?" Mars grumbled. But I was laughing so contagiously that even he couldn't help but crack a smile. "Hold the end of this," he said. "Otherwise, we'll never finish."

I did as he asked, holding the crown while trying to tie the stems together, but I kept laughing. It's like when someone tells you to stop laughing and you just can't.

"Hey..." Mars said. He tried to maintain some seriousness, but by now, he was definitely smiling too. "Have you gone mad, Oliver? Snap out of it."

I wasn't mad, really; it was probably just the stress of a tense week trying to release itself from my body. "Okay," I said. "Okay, I stopped now. I'll hold, you add the last flower."

But before I could finish my words, I was laughing again. The crown fell from my hands onto the table. As I leaned forward, my head bumped into Mars's chest. His familiar, sweet scent was so strong it made my head spin. I laughed a bit more. Mars didn't make a sound. When I finally managed to look up, he was watching me with a bewildered expression. He seemed torn between joining in the laughter or cursing his luck. He shook his head.

"What a weird girl you are..."

"Because I don't fall all over you like the other girls," I said. "That's why I seem different to you."

He didn't respond right away. While I wiped the tears from my cheeks, he just watched me. Then, suddenly, he placed the crown on my head. The action was so unexpected that it cut off my laughter like a knife. I stared at him blankly. He stared back.

"Yes..." he said. 'You definitely seem different.'

I waited for him to continue. He didn't. As the silence stretched, the air between us seemed to thicken. I didn't understand why I kept finding myself face-to-face with this boy, but once again, he was too close for comfort. Every detail of his face was distressingly clear: his blue eyes sparkling with the moonlight filtering down from the roof, his straight nose, his parted lips, and his faint dimple.

With a surge of panic, I tore the crown from my hair and stepped back. I might as well have turned my back on him. It felt like I was trying to draw an invisible curtain between us.

"We've lingered too long," I said. "Let's finish this so we can leave. Or, even better, you go ahead and let Blue know. I'll follow you to the studio once I'm done with this."

Mars chuckled. "Nice try, Oliver, but you can't make me do all that work and then ditch me. I'm not leaving without you."

"I said I'll follow you," I protested, but my protest was drowned out by another voice.

"Why are you bothering Olive again?"

Mars and I simultaneously turned our heads in choreographed unison. Trouble had already sensed the approaching disruption and had made his way to the door, but neither Mars nor I had noticed our new visitor as we were too busy bickering.

"Tarben..." Mars said firmly, "Why am I not surprised?"

I stepped between Mars and Tarben, foolishly thinking I could diffuse the tension. It didn't work.

"Tarben," I tried again, attempting to draw his attention to me. It took effort, but he finally shifted his gaze from Mars to me.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"She's fantastic, thanks," Mars cut in over my shoulder, grinning. "Since I did all the work for her, she is doing great. And you? What brought you here? Too bad, we were just about to leave."

My reply to Tarben would have been similar, but obviously not delivered in such an annoying manner! I glared at Mars, who hadn't noticed because he was still eyeing Tarben.

"What's going on, Olive?" Tarben asked, sounding skeptical.

I sighed loudly. "I... Mars and I are heading to the studio tonight to work on their new song with Blue. I've helped them before. Mars just..." I glanced at him sharply, "...helped out here so I wouldn't fall behind. Right, Mars?"

Mars flashed Tarben the most insincere, smug smile. "Just to keep on schedule..."

I rolled my eyes at him and turned back to Tarben. "Did you need something from me?"

"I was going to ask if you'd like to take a ride with Lys," he said without hesitation. "I guessed you'd be here and thought some fresh air might do you good."

How thoughtful he always was. My stomach clenched. I was about to apologize when I felt Mars's hand on my shoulder.

"Too bad..." Mars said. "That sounds like a really sweet plan. But, well, maybe next time. Come on, Oliver, let's not delay any further. See you, Tartar!"

Mars was stronger than I could resist. Before I knew it, I was walking with him. That was until Tarben stepped in front of us like a wall, forcing Mars to stop.

"Actually Marsilio..." Tarben said. "It might be best if I come along. An extra pair of eyes won't hurt. Plus, Olive wouldn't be alone with you musician freaks."

Mars was undoubtedly about to object, but Tarben was quicker. He reached for my wrist, pulling me to his side, stepped in front, and led us away from Mars. Soon, I was walking ahead, Tarben behind me, Mars trailing, and Trouble following us out of the workshop.

Seriously, how much weirder could my night get?"

***

What a delicious chapter this was... We had not only one, but two boys...  Yummy!

Next chapter, we will continue from where we left. The tension is high. The pressure of the new song, the carnival approaching, suitors keep coming....   Let's see how our lovely characters deal with all these :)

Stay in love until the next episode.

Kisses